The Art of Persuasion

An interview with a communication coach

In an interview with the Observer in April 2005, communication coach Juliet Erickson explains that anybody can become a better communicator.

She highlights a fact, long acknowledged by performance coaches, that it is impossible not to communicate. Even if you are quiet and shy and say nothing in a meeting, that silence is communicating a message to everyone present.

The problem with this kind of communication is that you are not having an active say in the way the message is interpreted and it is likely to say very little about what you are really thinking.

Successful Communication – Verbal and Non-Verbal

Scientists have demonstrated that unspoken communication, or non-verbal communication, accounts for a large percentage of our total interaction with others, possibly as much as 95%. Therefore by adopting a more confident and positive approach, you are likely to get a much more successful outcome, whether you are meeting a new person or having a job interview.

The article discusses cultural differences in communication and how you really do need to think about who you are communicating with. Interestingly it is also noted that the British are not historically the greatest verbal communicators and that in the age of emailing and texting this is not necessarily improving.

The author has worked to help people become much more successful in the way they communicate themselves. This is why she is charging £500 an hour!

If you are keen to become a more successful communicator or to learn how to get much more of what you want, and she is convinced anyone can improve at this, then it would be well worth you reading the article. It also gives details of her book “The Art of Persuasion”.